President Poroshenko awarded Serhii Plokhii the Shevchenko National Prize at a ceremony on March 9, 2018 for his book The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine. The National Prize, which is named after Ukrainian poet and artist Taras Shevchenko, was given in the categories of literature, non-fiction, music, visual art, and cinema. Plokhii won in the non-fiction category.

In an interview with Radio Svoboda (in Ukrainian), Plokhii discussed his motivations for writing the book and some of its key themes. Although he initially wrote the book for a Western audience which lacked knowledge of Ukraine, the popularity of its Ukrainian translation attests to the book’s broader appeal and importance. Plokhii emphasizes the challenges of Ukraine’s status as a diverse borderland -- as well as the great opportunities therein with compromise and the right attitude toward statehood.